“The endocannabinoid system has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic target for MS. The protective mechanisms of cannabinoids are thought to be mediated by activation of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and 2 (CB2)…
activation of CB1 receptors contributes significantly to the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids on MS.”
“Spasticity remains a prevalent symptom in multiple sclerosis, with a significant associated disability and quality of life impairment… Cannabinoids provide a new way for therapy.
A delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol plus cannabidiol (1:1) association, administered through an oromucosal route, has been approved in several countries including Spain; it causes a specific effect on CB(1) and CB(2) receptors, with traditional psychotropic cannabis actions being minimized.
Randomized, placebo-controlled trials, as well as longer-term open-label extensions, have shown a clear-cut efficacy to reduce spasticity and their associated symptoms in those patients refractory to other therapies, with a good tolerability/safety profile.
No tolerance, abuse or addictive issues have been found…”
“Cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 are part the endocannabinoid system that plays an important role in the process of proliferation and apoptosis of different neoplastic cells. B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is one of the diseases in which these processes are altered… The aim of our study was the assessment of cannabinoid receptor expression on the B-lymphocytes in bone marrow trephine biopsy from leukaemic patients at diagnosis and after purine analogue treatment….
The study provides original evidence for the existence of cannabinoid receptors on B-lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients. The receptors are thought to be a new structure that can modify the course of the disease and may be considered as a new target in leukaemia treatment.”
“Cannabinoids are implicated in the control of cell proliferation, but little is known about the role of the endocannabinoid system in human malignant melanoma. This study was aimed at characterizing the in vitro antitumor activity of anandamide (AEA) in A375 melanoma cells…
Overall, these findings demonstrate that AEA induces cytotoxicity against human melanoma cells in the micromolar range of concentrations through a complex mechanism, which involve COX-2 and LOX-derived product synthesis and CB1 activation. Lipid raft modulation, probably linked to GPR55 activation, might also have a role.”
“Opium smoking has been mostly replaced by i.v. injection of morphine and heroin and we see cocaine sniffing rather than chewing of coca leaves. Cannabis use – be it of marijuana, hashish or bhang – differs.
Any cannabis cognoscente will insist that the crude material is ‘much better’ than pure Δ9 – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the only major psychoactive constituent of cannabis (Mechoulam et al., 1970).
Indeed, although pure THC is available as a drug (named Dronabinol) it is apparently not used illicitly.
The pharmacological/biochemical basis for this difference is not clear and is presumably due to several factors. A major reason seems to be the pharmacokinetic difference between cannabis smoking and the oral administration of THC.
On smoking, the cannabis effects are noted almost immediately, while a 1.5 – 2 hour delay is observed on oral administration.
A further factor may be conditioning to the smell, although there are no published data along these lines. A further factor may be the presence of the terpenoid CB2 agonist beta-caryophyllene in cannabis (Gertsch et al., 2008).
CB2 agonists are well known to cause numerous effects (mostly of a protective nature) which may counteract some of the effects of THC (Pacher & Mechoulam, 2011).”
“Ovarian cancer represents one of the leading cause of cancer-relateddeaths for women and is the most common gynecologic malignancy.In spite of relative low morbidity, ovarian cancer has a highfatality ratio, with overall 5-year survival of less than 30%.At present, there are inadequate treatment options for the managementof advanced ovarian cancer, and therefore development of novelapproaches for treatment of this disease are needed.
Cannabinoids,the active components of Cannabis sativa linnaeous and their derivatives have received considerable attention in recent yearsdue to their diverse pharmacological activities such as cell growth inhibition and tumor regression. To date, two differentcannabinoid receptors have been characterized and cloned frommammalian tissues: the “central” CB1 receptor and the “peripheral”CB2 receptor…
These results support a new therapeutic approach for the treatmentof ovarian cancer. It is also conceivable that with available cannabinoids as lead compounds, non-habit forming agents that have higher biological effects could be developed.”
http://www.aacrmeetingabstracts.org/cgi/content/abstract/2006/1/1084
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/8_Supplement/1084.1
“According to researchers, active chemicals in cannabis inhibits prostate cancer cell growth…
Professor Ines Diaz-Laviada, study author said: “Our research shows that there are areas on prostate cancer cells which can recognize and talk to chemicals found in cannabis called cannabinoids. These chemicals can stop the division and growth of prostate cancer cells and could become a target for new research into potential drugs to treat prostate cancer.”” http://www.elements4health.com/active-chemicals-in-cannabis-inhibits-prostate-cancer-cell-growth.html
“Endogenous cannabinoids (EC) are ubiquitous lipid signalling molecules providing different central and peripheral effects that are mediated mostly by the specific receptors CB1 and CB2. The EC system is highly upregulated during chronic liver disease and consistent experimental and clinical findings indicate that it plays a role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and fatty liver disease associated with obesity, alcohol abuse and hepatitis C.
Furthermore, a considerable number of studies have shown that EC and their receptors contribute to the pathogenesis of the cardio-circulatory disturbances occurring in advanced cirrhosis, such as portal hypertension, hyperdynamic circulatory syndrome and cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.
More recently, the EC system has been implicated in the development of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy and the inflammatory response related to bacterial infection. Rimonabant, a selective CB1 antagonist, was the first drug acting on the EC system approved for the treatment of obesity. Unfortunately, it has been withdrawn from the market because of its neuropsychiatric side effects.
Compounds able to target selectively the peripheral CB1 receptors are under evaluation.
In addition, molecules stimulating CB2 receptor or modulating the activity of enzymes implicated in EC metabolism are promising areas of pharmacological research.
Liver cirrhosis and the related complications represent an important target for the clinical application of these compounds.”
“∆9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active constituent of Cannabis sativa, exerts its biological effects in part through the G-protein-coupled CB1 and CB2 receptors, which were initially discovered in brain and spleen tissue, respectively. However, THC also has CB1/2 receptor-independent effects. Because of its immune-inhibitory potential, THC and related cannabinoids are being considered for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.
Here we investigated the mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of THC and the role of CB1 and CB2 receptors…
Topically applied THC can effectively attenuate contact allergic inflammation by decreasing keratinocyte-derived pro-inflammatory mediators that orchestrate myeloid immune cell infiltration independent of CB1/2 receptors.
This has important implications for the future development of strategies to harness cannabinoids for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.”
“Endocannabinoid system seems to be involved in the modulation of NTG-induced hyperalgesia, and probably, in the pathophysiological mechanisms of migraine…
The study confirms that a dysfunction of the endocannabinoid system may contribute to the development of migraine attacks and that a pharmacological modulation of CB receptors can be useful for the treatment of migraine pain…
By combining our data with the findings available from the literature, we can hypothesize that a dysfunction of the endocannabinoid system may contribute to the development of migraine attacks and that a specific pharmacological modulation of CB1 and CB2 receptors may be useful for the treatment of migraine pain, without deleterious effects, as well as of specific associated symptoms (nausea, in primis).”
Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3072518/